Enter any address in Worth County, Iowa to see its FEMA flood zone
Flash flooding from heavy rainfall events is the primary flood hazard in Worth County. Between 1994 and 2024, NOAA Storm Events data recorded 29 flash flood events and 19 flood events. Recent occurrences include heavy rain causing road closures and contributing to river flooding in June 2024, and severe weather accompanied by heavy rain and flooding in August 2021.
National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) data shows 5 claims in Zone A within Worth County, with an average payout of $1,469 and an average water depth of -0.8 feet. Homeowners in areas designated as Zone A, particularly those near rivers or in locations prone to flash flooding from intense rainfall, should pay close attention to flood risk information.
Summary generated from NOAA storm narratives and NFIP claim data for this county. Not predictive.
45 NOAA storm reports from this county describe what happened, in the words of the meteorologists who were there.
Worth County, Iowa has recorded 48 flood-related events since 1996 according to NOAA's Storm Events Database, including 29 flash floods and 19 river or area floods. The county has received 16 federal disaster declarations, 5 of which involved flooding or coastal storms. Enter any address above to check its FEMA flood zone designation.
FEMA Disaster Declarations (1965–2024)
Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries.
| Declaration | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Straight-line Winds, And Tornadoes | Severe Storm | Jun 16, 2024 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Tornadoes | Severe Storm | Dec 15, 2021 |
| Covid-19 | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Covid-19 Pandemic | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Flood | Mar 12, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Severe Storm | May 19, 2013 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Severe Storm | May 25, 2008 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Severe Storm | Feb 23, 2007 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Hurricane | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Severe Storm | May 19, 2004 |
NOAA Storm Events Database (1996–2025)
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
| Type | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 22, 2024 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Aug 27, 2021 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jun 8, 2018 | 100.00K |
| Flash Flood | Aug 24, 2016 | 10.00K |
| Flood | Jun 13, 2013 | 100.00K |
| Flood | Jun 13, 2013 | 250.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jul 13, 2013 | 150.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jul 13, 2013 | 10.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jul 13, 2013 | 250.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jul 13, 2013 | 50.00K |
Flash Flood — Jun 22, 2024
Heavy rain began late on June 21 and continued into the morning of June 22 as storms persisted along a stalled war front over northern Iowa. A widespread 3-4 inches of rain fell in northern Iowa, resulting in a few road closures across the area. This heavy rain also pushed rivers in northwest Iowa even higher, the catalyst for what would be in some cases catastrophic river flooding in the days ...
Flash Flood — Aug 27, 2021
A nearly station boundary draped itself across northern Iowa, oriented east-west on the evening of the 27th and allowed isolated supercells and multi cellular storms to initiate and in some cases train/develop over the same area for a number of hours. In total, severe weather (damaging winds, funnel clouds, tornadoes), heavy rain, and flooding occurred. ||The portions of northern Iowa that expe...
Flash Flood — Jun 8, 2018
Overall the pattern and antecedent environment were not extremely conducive to severe weather with an environment of around 1000 J/kg and effective shear under 30 kts, but it did not rule out the potential for periods of heavy rainfall. ||High pressure ridging was situated over the SW United States, leaving much of the Upper Midwest along the ring of fire, or northwesterly flow/transition from ...
Flash Flood — Aug 24, 2016
A small complex of thunderstorms traveled northeast through Kansas and Nebraska overnight the 22nd into the 23rd, finally arriving early in the afternoon. With instability building with daytime heating, the storms were able to strengthen and grow in spatial coverage as they traversed northwest/northern Iowa. While no severe reports were made with the initial storms, heavy rainfall was reporte...
Flood — Jun 13, 2013
Low pressure moved northeast out of north central Kansas into central Iowa by mid day on the 12th, then into northern Illinois by evening. A strong push of very warm and humid air pushed into the state south of the warm front extending east from the low. Temperatures warmed into the upper 80s to low 90s, with dewpoint temperatures in the low 70s. The airmass became unstable with CAPE rising ...
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
Source: OpenFEMA NFIP Individual Claims (2.25M records analyzed).
FEMA assigns flood zone designations to areas in Worth County, Iowa:
AE High Risk — 1% annual chance of flooding. Insurance required.
VE Very High Risk — Coastal flooding with wave action.
X (Shaded) Moderate Risk — 500-year floodplain.
X Low Risk — Outside major floodplains.
Properties in Worth County, Iowa that are in FEMA-designated Special Flood Hazard Areas (zones A and V) with federally backed mortgages are required to carry flood insurance.
Even outside high-risk zones, flood insurance is recommended. From 2014 to 2024, nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area.
Visit FloodSmart.gov to find an agent and get a quote.